NBA Game Notebook: Nets vs. Cavaliers

The following interviews took place after the March 12, 2008 game between the New Jersey Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Nets won, 104-99.

Mike Brown:

Scott: “What does that say about your defense that the Nets had six players in double figures?”

Mike: “What defense? (Pause 5 seconds)  For us it’s been this way the whole year, which is a scary thing is, we just kind of go through the motions, go through the motions, go through the motions. When it’s fourth quarter time, as the ball game goes along, we look up and we’re getting down double digits and now there’s a sense of urgency and now we try to get stops.  Well, we have to figure out how to do that for 48 minutes, or for as close to 48 minutes as possible.  We can’t wait until the third quarter, we can’t wait until the fourth quarter to say, okay, let’s go, let’s turn it on.  We got to go out with a sense of urgency from the beginning of the game.  It doesn’t mean put teams away, but at least make somebody feel you.  We don’t.  Not only that, but early in the games, we’ve been turning the ball over too and that’s something we’ve got to do a better job doing of trying to eliminate.”

LeBron James:

Scott: “On the court, how much of a different team is this Nets team than when Jason (Kidd) was on the floor with them?”

LeBron: “With Jason on the court, the game’s definitely faster.  He’s just such a quick player.  That’s not to take anything away from Devin Harris though.  I really think he’s one of the best young point guards in the entire league.  The Nets are a good team, they played well tonight and they just have beaten up on us all season long.  We play them again, one more time, and so we’ll have to come up with a game plan to get them next time.”

(The following interviews are archived from “Scott Stanchak Exclusives” on ScottStanchak.com)